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The Ultimate Fighter: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock Finale
Mike Nickels
Mike Nickels
3-1 · USA
VS
Wes Combs
Wes Combs
12-0 · USA
June 24, 2006 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Light Heavyweight · 3 rounds
205.0lb
Weigh-in
205.0lb
Mike Nickels def. Wes Combs by SUB (Rear Naked Choke), R1 3:10
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 3:10
Nickels22/373/302:34
Combs4/120/000:01
Total
Nickels22/373/302:34
Combs4/120/000:01

Pre-fight

The model's read going in

The walk-forward model's call at the time of the bout — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.

Prediction
NickelsWin probabilityCombs
58.6%41.4%
KO / TKO
33%
Submission
28%
Decision
39%
Expected fight time: 9.3 min
What drives the pick

Each bar is a feature's push on the model from the center axis. Red pushes toward Nickels, blue toward Combs. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Nickels59%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO17%28%
Submission17%30%
Decision25%42%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes54 (3070)act 22
Takedowns1.8 (0.23.8)act 3
Combs41%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO16%40%
Submission10%25%
Decision15%35%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes50 (2866)act 4
Takedowns0.2 (0.01.2)act 0
Combined totals~104 sig strikes~2.0 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R132%
R220%
R39%
Distance39%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.1%
Nickels
52.4%-113
Combs
+11346.5%
Most takedownstie 14.4%
Nickels
80.1%-1441
Combs
+14415.6%
Significant strikes — over/under
Nickels
Expected: 53.7
53.5
Over 53.5
42.8%
+134
Under 53.5
57.2%
-134
068135
Combs
Expected: 50.4
50.5
Over 50.5
42.4%
+136
Under 50.5
57.6%
-136
064127
Takedowns — over/under
Nickels
Expected: 1.8
2
Over 2
35.2%
+105
Exactly 2
27.9%
push
Under 2
37.0%
-105
036
Combs
Expected: 0.2
0
Over 0
41.9%
Exactly 0
58.1%
push
Under 0
0.0%
035

Odds are model-implied (no real prop market is priced for these). The “most” prices are draw-no-bet — a tie (for takedowns, usually 0–0) is a push, so each side is priced off its chance of winning given a result, while the % shown is the raw chance of landing strictly more. Drag a line in half-point steps: a half line (e.g. 2.5) is a clean over/under, while a whole number adds a third outcome — landing exactly on it, a push — so over, exact and under sum to 100%. On a whole number the over/under odds are draw-no-bet (priced off the decisive mass, since the push refunds), so the two sides stay mirror images rather than implying an arbitrage.

Expected fight time 9.3 min. Predicted-output ranges are percentiles of the model’s simulated fights: sig strikes the middle 50% (25th–75th); takedowns the wider 10th–90th, since they’re 0 in most fights so a narrow band would collapse to 0. Win-by-method = win probability × that fighter’s own method split: the model forecasts how the fight ends, and that forecast is divided between the corners by each fighter’s finishing record — UFC wins in full, earlier-career wins at half weight, as of fight night — reconciled so the fighters’ totals still equal their win probabilities and the methods still total the fight-level forecast above. “Equity” is each of those over that fighter’s win % — how they win given that they win — so a column adds to 100%, and it differs by corner. A fighter with no classifiable wins at any level leans on the fight-level split. “How it ends” is the model’s round-of-finish split. “Mkt” is the de-vigged market prop (consensus across books), shown for context, not as a betting signal; rounds & totals slots fill as that data lands. Percentages are apportioned by largest remainder, so each set adds to its total exactly and an individual figure can sit a point off its own rounding.

Model vs market
Final
ModelMarketGapLine
To win
Nickels58.6%19.4%+39.2+400
Combs41.4%80.6%−39.2-500

Market % is the de-vigged (no-vig) consensus across the books that price both fighters; the line is the average across books with the min–max range in parentheses. Gap is the model minus the market in points (+ = the model rates that outcome above the market). Thin or one-sided markets are flagged or left blank rather than shown as a fabricated %. Shown for context, not as a bet — the closing line is the sharpest public price and the model trails it on average. For 5-round bouts the model splits its round-3+ finish mass into rounds 3–5 by the historical within-bucket rate, so the over-3.5 / 4.5 lines carry a model estimate.

Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1503
Pound-for-pound
1545
1503
Divisional
1545
1482
Striking offense
1500
1500
Striking defense
1500
1561
Grappling offense
1500
1558
Grappling defense
1500
Physical
34 yrs
Age
33 yrs
6'4"
Height
6'2"
Reach
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
Strikes landed / min
Strike accuracy
Strikes absorbed / min
Strike defense
Grappling (UFC career)
Takedowns / 15 min
Takedown accuracy
Takedown defense
Sub attempts / 15 min
Form & résumé
UFC win rate
Win/loss streak
Last-5 win rate
Finish rate
Recent opp. quality
Days since last fight
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Mike Nickels
No prior UFC fights.
Wes Combs
No prior UFC fights.
Nickels — win / loss by method
Record: 3-1-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
2 wins, 0 losses
W
67% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
1 win, 1 loss
W
33% of wins
L
100% of losses
Decision
0 wins, 0 losses
W
0% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
0win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO() 0
0 ()Submission() 0
0 ()Decision() 0
Non-UFC
3win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (67%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
1 (33%)Submission(100%) 1
0 (0%)Decision(0%) 0
Combs — win / loss by method
Record: 12-0-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
9 wins, 0 losses
W
75% of wins
L
Submission
2 wins, 0 losses
W
17% of wins
L
Decision
1 win, 0 losses
W
8% of wins
L
UFC
0win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 ()KO/TKO() 0
0 ()Submission() 0
0 ()Decision() 0
Non-UFC
12win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
9 (75%)KO/TKO() 0
2 (17%)Submission() 0
1 (8%)Decision() 0

Profiles

Experience
Nickels
Combs
0
UFC fights
0
Octagon time
Career length
UFC schedule strength

Opponents' records on fight night — toggle their full cross-promotional record vs UFC bouts only.

Nickels
Combs
Overall
Wins
Losses
Non-UFC schedule strength
Nickels
Combs
3W–1L · 75.0%
Overall
38W–57L · 40.0%
1W–1L · 50.0%
Wins
38W–57L · 40.0%
2W–0L · 100.0%
Losses
0W–0L
Distance striking
Nickels
Combs
Landed / min
Accuracy
Defense
Knockdowns / 15 min
Time at distance
Grappling & control
Nickels
Combs
Takedowns / 15 min
Takedown accuracy
Takedown defense
Sub attempts / 15 min
Control share
Strike target map
Nickels
  • Head0%(0)div 70%
  • Body0%(0)div 13%
  • Legs0%(0)div 17%
  • No strike data on record.
Combs
  • Head0%(0)div 70%
  • Body0%(0)div 13%
  • Legs0%(0)div 17%
  • No strike data on record.

Where each fighter lands significant strikes (career). “div” = the weight-class average.

Mike Nickels

No UFC fights on record.

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.

Wes Combs

No UFC fights on record.

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.